My Senator and Me

As the old saying goes, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Sound advice, which Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy (recently diagnosed with brain cancer) takes in this cut-out animated adaptation of his 2006 children's picture book, illustrated by David Small. Narrated by Portuguese water dog Splash (voiced by David de Vries), the story offers a “dog's eye view of Washington, D.C.” as we follow Senator Kennedy (voiced by Kennedy himself) and Splash over the course of a busy day: walking through the metal detector at the Russell Senate Office Building, meeting with staff, holding a press conference, eating lunch at his desk, attending a conference committee meeting during which senators and representatives work out their differences on an education bill, heading for the Senate chamber to vote (no dogs allowed), and playing one last game of fetch before going home. In addition, Splash points out sights such as the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, as well as the Kennedy Center. Backed by a bouncy soundtrack from Scotty Huff and Robert Reynolds, and featuring the option of using “read-along” subtitles with words highlighted in yellow as they are spoken, My Senator and Me is an amiable (if a bit overlong) overview of a typical day on the Hill—sanitized, no doubt, for children. Recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (R. Pitman)